Because hemoglobin is affected, the body will lack oxygen, causing the person to be tired.Lacking oxygen can also result in paleness and shortage of breath.
Jaundice is also very common, as this is "a condition that results in the high rate of red blood cell breakdown" (TeensHealth.com). This symptom causes the whites in a persons eyes to turn a shade of yellow.
Swollen hands and feet are often the first signs of sickle cell anemia in babies which are called hand-foot syndrome. The swelling is caused by sickle-shaped red blood cells blocking blood flow out of the hands and feet. The condition, hand-foot syndrome, is often accompanied by pain and fever.
Some people with sickle cell anemia experience vision problems. Tiny blood vessels that feed your eyes may become plugged with sickle cells. This can damage the retina; the portion of each eye that processes visual images.
Pain that happen randomly in any body organ. A people with sickle cell disease can experience pain because sickled blood cells block oxygen’s way to tissues. However, the frequency and intensity of pain vary for each patients. Some patients may have painful crises less than once a year, and some can have as many as 15 or more crises in a year. Sometimes pain lasts only a few hours; sometimes it lasts several weeks. This pain is the principal symptom of sickle cell anemia in both children and adults.
Slow puberty in children. The slow rate of body growth or a puberty could be resulted by a shortage of red blood cells(anemia).
Stroke. Blockages of blood vessels in the brain are especially dangerous. The brain may not get the oxygen it needs to function as per normal. When blockages occur, a person may become numb on one side of the body and/or lose vision and/or the ability to speak. They may experience dizziness. Children between the ages of one and fifteen are at the highest risk for having a stroke due to sickle cell anemia.
Enlarged spleen and infections. Sickle-cell blockages can affect any of a body's organs where these organs do not receive the oxygen needed to grow like a normal person without the disease. The spleen is especially at risk and may become enlarged or it may die entirely This occurence can weaken the immune system and increase the chances that a patient will develop infections.
Contents:
Signs and Symptoms
Image from: //Sanders, Melissa. "Spleen with Sickle Cell Disease." Online image. Jan. Google Image Result for http://pathweb.uchc.edu/eAtlas/Images/HEM/6382b.gif.15 Feb. 2007 <http://tinyurl.com/2dn45p>.//
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